1) See Dutch New York Between East and West: The World of Margrieta van Varick, about the life of a 17th century Dutch woman who lived half her life in Malaysia and half in Flatbush.

2) Read From Rags to Riches: The Dirty Story Behind Sugar Refining in 19th Century NYC, one of the intriguing, unpredictable articles from the just-launched Vintage Magazine, inspired Fleur Cowles' Flair, which retains a cult following more than 60 years after its brief publishing life.

2) Trying to sort through the long arm of family? For a look at the phenomenon, read Penelope Lively's new book Family Album, in which the author, with her customary brisk insight, anatomizes the house and home of one large British family. No matter where you come from, some of it is bound to hit home.

3) An unlikely picaresque hero: the title character of the O'Horten, a Norwegian film of enormous charm (extremely quiet charm) available on pay per view (the international channel) or from Netflix, about a retired railway motorman who finds life in later life.

4) Last chance for Robert Frank's The Americans at the Met Museum, which closes 1/3. By the way, the Met will be open on a rare Monday, 12/28.

5) Jump-start your resolution to add running back into your life: buy a copy of Running for Mortals by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield.

6) There's still time for Brief Encounter (raves reviews all around) extended at St. Ann's Warehouse through January 17th.

7) Hoist a heady (9.5% alcohol) yet easily quaffed Westmalle Tripel or one of the many other worthy offerings at the beercentric Amity Hall in the West Village.

8) At Bargemusic, a classic(al) Christmas or New Year's Eve: Goldberg Variations for the former, the Brandenburg Concerto for the latter.

9) Great choices at the Museum of the City of NY: Saarinen, images from Look mag, and the city's parks photographed by Joel Meyerowitz.

10) Circle Mirror Transformation, a play by Annie Baker about the travails of amateur actors, was a favorite this year among theater people (and many theatergoers). It's back for a brief return engagement, through January 17th.

20) Don't let the recession burst your holiday bubbles: instead of a Champagne, go for an Alsatian Crémant, like the Boxler from Crush. At $25.95, not Trader Joe's cheap but lots of value for your money.

21) A suggestion from Patell and Waterman's History of New York: read The Battle for Christmas, which they call a "highly entertaining narrative."